Elara Hayes POV:
A pair of immaculate, custom-made leather shoes appeared in my line of sight. A shadow fell over me, blocking out the moonlight.
I didn't need to look up. I knew that scent—cold, dominant, and laced with cedar.
Alpha King Aiden Beaumont.
"How pathetic," he said, his voice devoid of sympathy. He was looking down at me, a king observing a peasant. If anything, he sounded... annoyed.
"Go away. I don't want to see you." I tried to keep my voice steady, laced with anger.
He didn't move. Instead, he crouched down, bringing his face level with mine. The proximity sent a jolt through me.
"Do you see what your husband is now?" he asked softly, his words a confirmation of my worst fears.
I glared at him. "You led me there on purpose. You knew all along."
He let out a low, soft chuckle. "Yes. Because I was curious. Curious to see how you would react. What do you plan to do about it? Continue being the dutiful Mrs. Miller?"
Dutiful? How could I?
The image of Garrett and Leah, their bodies entwined, flashed in my mind. The humiliation, the betrayal—it all ignited into a white-hot rage. Why? Why was I the one betrayed, the one mocked, the one left to cry in silence?
His words were an arrogance, an assumption that I was weak.
No. I would not shrink away.
I will have my revenge. I will make Garrett and Leah pay. And I knew that this man, this powerful, cruel man in front of me, might be the only weapon I had.
But I was just a wolfless. He was the Alpha King. The chasm between us was impossibly wide. How could I get him to help me?
A flash of inspiration struck me. I had a plan.
I wiped the tears from my face with the back of my hand and pushed myself to my feet, meeting his gaze directly.
"You asked what I plan to do?" I mirrored his earlier smirk, though mine felt brittle and forced.
I took a step forward, closing the distance between us until I could see a flicker of surprise in his cold eyes. Even... perhaps delight?
My hand came up, my fingers tracing the line of his silk tie. I deliberately brushed my fingertips against the hard column of his throat, feeling the slight jump of his pulse beneath my touch.
"Since my husband is unfaithful," I whispered, my voice a low, seductive purr I didn't know I possessed, "why should I remain loyal? Are you... interested, Alpha King?"
I rose on my tiptoes and pressed a light kiss to his lips. A kiss that held no love from me. And then I saw his eyes widen.
It was the boldest, most reckless thing I had ever done. I was gambling on the faint spark of interest I'd seen in his eyes.
The shock on Aiden's face faded, and his eyes darkened. His hand shot out, grabbing my wrist, his grip so tight I thought the bones would snap.
I winced, a small gasp of pain escaping my lips, but I held his gaze.
I felt his grip loosen slightly after he heard my pained sound. His eyes were no longer purely gray; they carried a hint of gold. I knew that was a sign of an Alpha's heightened emotions, but... he seemed perfectly calm.
The air grew thick, charged with his raw Alpha power. It pressed down on me, making my knees weak, but I forced myself to stand tall.
I expected him to humiliate me again. Or worse, to take what I was offering, right here, right now.
But he just stared at me for a long, silent moment, and then his grip loosened. His reaction was completely unexpected.
"Brave," he finally said, his voice still edged with mockery, but something had shifted. "But weak."
He reached into the inner pocket of his suit jacket and pulled something out, pressing it into my palm. It was cool and smooth.
I opened my hand. It was a round, polished piece of black obsidian. A complex sigil of a crescent moon was carved into its surface.
"What is this?" I asked, confused.
"An opportunity," Aiden said, standing up, the distance between us once again vast and unbridgeable. "If you decide you want revenge in a way that isn't so... foolish, bring this to the top floor of the Beaumont Group."
The Beaumont Group? His company? My heart stuttered.
"Don't misunderstand," he said, his voice turning cold again as if he'd read my mind. "I'm not helping you. I just... hate seeing a boring melodrama."
A melodrama? My marriage? The casual disdain in his voice was humiliating, but it was overshadowed by my confusion.
He didn't give me a chance to ask more questions. He turned, his long strides carrying him away into the darkness.
I stood there, clutching the cold obsidian token. It felt like a brand, searing itself into my palm.
